Georgia Tech may not have a player who could make it into the first few rounds of the NFL Draft, which begins this Thursday, but could be an interesting pickup on Day 3 and potentially join the team's roster. There are some players. Over the past few years, players like Jordan Mason, Juannie Thomas, and Tyler Davis have gone from being late picks/undrafted to making an impact on their teams.
After writing about running back Donte Smith earlier this week, let's talk about another player who made an impact on Georgia Tech's offense last season, wide receiver Dominick Blaylock.
Georgia Tech had a strong receiving corps last season, but Blaylock stepped up and made his presence felt in many games.
It's been a career year for Blaylock, who started his career with the Georgia Bulldogs before moving on to Atlanta. Blaylock was the Yellow Jackets' third leading receiver, catching 21 passes for 337 yards and two touchdowns. He was also Georgia Tech's leading punt returner. Although he had a positive impact on the field, Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key also praised Blaylock's influence as a leader.
“Yeah, we brought in four transfer receivers last year because we knew we had to be more productive offensively, more explosive, a more explosive offense, and that's what we do in college football. The quickest way is to get a receiver who can spread the field horizontally and vertically and have a trigger man who can get the ball to them, and his ability in the punt return game. Adding value will be a big issue this week.
We were really happy to have him, but Dom is a great kid. He is a guy who just goes to work without saying anything when he joins the company. Looking at what he's been through in his career, I'm really happy that he was able to have some success. ”
Blaylock played 529 snaps and finished with 60.7 points, 19th best on offense, according to PFF.
It will be interesting to see where Blaylock ends up. He's a really solid possession receiver with sure hands, and I think a player like that can always have a role on a team. He was also a good punt returner at Georgia Tech, and he showed NFL teams that he has special teams that are always attractive to NFL teams. Keep an eye out for his name on Saturday.
According to his career with Georgia Tech Athletics:
2023 (Red Shirt Junior): In his first season as a Yellow Jacket, he played in 11 games and started 9 games as a wide receiver…ranked 3rd on the team in receiving yards (337), 4th on the team in receiving yards (21) and led the Jackets with 16.0 yards per game. Average Yards Per Reception (minimum 10 receptions) … Average yards per punt return is 11.1 yards, which would rank 16th nationally if they had enough returns to qualify for the NCAA and ACC official statistical rankings. … Caught multiple passes on 6 of 12 games … caught 4 passes for 46 yards and a 3-yard touchdown against South Carolina State (September 9) … caught 7 passes against Bowling Green Recorded 131 yards receiving, setting a career high (September 30) … Caught in for 34 yards in a 23-20 win over No. 17 Miami (October 7) … Bowl clinch Caught two passes for 68 yards, including a career-long 53-yard touchdown catch against Syracuse (November 18).
Georgia (2019-22): He has two seasons of eligibility remaining as a graduate transfer from Georgia State… Appeared in 31 games over four seasons at Georgia State, played in 12 of 14 games as a true freshman in 2019, and will be a Red in 2022. Played in all 15 games as a sophomore for the Shirts… played the entire 2020 season, but played in the final four games of the 2021 season due to two major injuries to the same knee in 2019 and 2020. All he did was catch 35 passes for 548 yards, six touchdowns, and return 16 punts for 131 yards (8.3 average). ) After just over two years of playing time…as a true freshman in 2019, he had career highs with 15 receptions, 310 receiving yards, five touchdown catches, and 14 punt returns for 128 yards (9.1 average). Records… recorded all of his singles results. Career highs as a freshman – 4 receptions, 112 yards receiving, 60 yards per catch vs. Arkansas State (September 14, 2019), 32-yard punt return vs. Georgia Tech (November 30, 2019) …achieved the only career-high tackle on the opening kickoff against Georgia Tech in 2021.
high school: Rated as a 5-star prospect by 247Sports and PrepStar Magazine … Ranked as the No. 8 prospect in the nation and No. 1 wide receiver in the nation by PrepStar … Ranked as the No. 33 overall prospect and No. 4 wide receiver in the nation by ESPN Ratings… Three-time All-State Champion… Gained over 3,500 yards from scrimmage and 52 touchdowns during his prep career at nearby Walton High School… Caught 60 passes for 1,052 yards and eight touches. Down and ran for 216 yards and 10 points on 53 carries, leading Walton to a 10-2 record and reaching the 7A state quarterfinals as a senior in 2018.Caught a pass as a junior in 2017. 52 passes for 904 yards and 7 touchdowns, 38 runs for 270 yards and 10 touchdowns…Catch 59 In 2016, as a sophomore, he passed for 904 yards and 8 touchdowns and was a second-team MaxPreps. The sophomore earned national recognition…earning MVP honors at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl National Combine…coached by Daniel Brunner.
